1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to exercise equipment and more specifically relates to weighted clothing for wearing during an exercise regimen.
2. Prior Art
In order to enhance the effects of a workout, some people, especially athletes, carry additional weights when exercising. For example, wrist and ankle weights are available for wearing bracelet-like and anklet-like to increase the strength and stamina of the arms and legs by requiring a user to exert extra effort when moving the arms or legs during running or other motion exercises. Members of the armed forces often wear weighted backpacks or backpacks containing weights when walking or hiking for increasing the strength and stamina of the legs and torso. Carrying such extra weight can increase the effort of the muscles, thus increasing the strength and stamina of the muscles upon continued use of the extra weights. Weighted clothing also exists for the same purpose. Wrist, ankle, backpack, and clothing weights, however, also have the potential of causing joint strain and damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,964 is a sportswear garment manufactured from a form-fitting clothing article having at least one flexible weight and a plurality of pockets to receive and maintain the weights in an immobile manner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,441 is a weighted suit to be used in athletic training, physical therapy, muscle toning and weight reduction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,125 is an article of apparel for use as athletic sportswear comprising a plurality of pockets that enclose flexible material of sufficient density to substantially increase the weight of the article.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,497 is a weighted exercise suit designed to enable human users to exercise with added weights removably attached to a body suit. U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,699 is an exercise vest that includes lower and intermediate rows of pockets extending along the outside of its back and side sections into which weights may be placed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,446 is a weighted conditioning garment to help an individual lose weight and/or increase muscle strength and stamina that includes a plurality of weight members affixed to at least two elongated flexible members formed in the shaped of an article of clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,322 is a weighted exercising garment formed of one piece of resilient flexible material so as to be a snug fit on the wearer's body. U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,176 is a weight vest including a shell constructed of a plurality of panels defining a front and a back. U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,694 is an exercise or physical therapy apparel including a vest, pants, spine strap, belt, wrist bands, ankle bands and weight packets. U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,391 is a weight vest comprising a front portion and a back portion having pockets into which a plurality of weights having a cylindrical shape may be placed.
Although these prior art inventions may have some utility, they can be too restrictive and uncomfortable, do not advantageously circulate and re-distribute heat, and do not provide for a variety of workout techniques. For example, prior art garments may have short sleeves to dissipate heat, but do not allow for a shoulder workout or are too bulky to wear under football shoulder pads or other sports-related pads and uniforms. For another example, other prior art garments target isolated muscle groups for additional resistance, such as the shoulders, but do not provide additional weights to the arms and the legs. Additionally, prior art devices utilizing weighted elements, such as wrist and thigh weights, are not integrated into a garment and may impede the motion of the wrists, arms, and legs, thus restricting the movement of the athlete. Further, the prior art may comprise thick and bulky material that does not allow for breathing which can make a wearer overly hot and which is uncomfortable to wear while exercising. On the aesthetic side, the prior art designs may not be fashionable, and may utilize adjustment straps, which are difficult and time-consuming to fasten, and are likewise not fashionable.
Notwithstanding the prior art, there is a need for an integrated article of weighted clothing that can be worn on the torso, such as a shirt or pant, that is fashionable, flexible, breathable, and weighted yet does not interfere with other articles of clothing or the movement of the wearer. There also is a need for an article of weighted clothing that can be worn clandestinely underneath an outer garment without negatively affecting the aesthetics of the outer garment. It is to these needs and others that the present invention is directed.